Dynamics of Antibody Nuclease Activity in Blood of Women during Pregnancy and Lactation

V. N. Buneva¹, A. N. Kudryavtseva¹, A. V. Gal'vita¹, V. V. Dubrovskaya², O. V. Khokhlova³, I. A. Kalinina⁴, V. A. Galenok⁴, and G. A. Nevinsky^1*

¹Novosibirsk Institute of Bioogranic Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Lavrentieva 8, Novosibirsk 6300090, Russia; fax: (3832) 333-677; E-mail: Nevinsky@niboch.nsc.ru

²Novosibirsk State University, ul. Pirogova 2, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia

³Polyclinic No. 1, Central Clinic Hospital, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Morskoi pr. 25, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia

⁴Novosibirsk State Medical Academy, Krasnyi pr. 20, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received August 23, 2002; Revision received March 11, 2003

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In human milk we previously found catalytic antibodies (abzymes) catalyzing hydrolysis of DNA, RNA, NMP, NDP, and NTP and also phosphorylation of proteins and lipids. In the present study we have analyzed nuclease activities of antibodies in blood of women during pregnancy and lactation. Blood of healthy male and female volunteers lacked catalytically active antibodies, whereas antibodies from blood of pregnant women hydrolyzed DNA and RNA and their relative activity varied over a wide range. Relative blood abzyme activities significantly increased after delivery and at the beginning of lactation. The highest abzyme activity was observed in blood of parturient women. Although the dynamics of changes in antibody DNase activity during pregnancy was rather individual for each woman, there was a common trend in the increase in antibody activity in the first and/or third trimester of the pregnancy. The DNase activity of IgG and IgM from blood of healthy pregnant women was 4-5 times less than that from pregnant women with pronounced autoimmune thyroiditis.

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KEY WORDS: human milk and blood, pregnancy and lactation, immunoglobulins, natural abzymes, hydrolysis of DNA and RNA

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